Getting a free game like Forza 5 sounds like a great deal for new Xbox One customers, right? No. It’s actually an “absolute slap in the face”—at least that’s according to a large chunk of the console’s early adopters.
Dozens and dozens of people reacted negatively to the news about the digital freebie on Major Nelson’s blog. Their beef in a nutshell? “We bought the Xbox One at launch, and we’re pissed you’re giving away free games so soon.”
Before we get into the comments though, here are the details on the free game. Starting next week and for a limited time, shoppers who pick up an Xbox One will receive a code for a free digital copy of Forza 5; by all accounts a gorgeous game, but not really deep as previous Forza games have been.
Now this is the second announcement of a free game for the same $500 price tag, as the Titanfall bundle goes on sale next week and comes with a copy of the highly anticipated mulitplayer shooter. It appears buyers of that bundle will not get the free Forza 5 offer, however.
Being that the Xbox One went on sale in the US just three and a half months ago, it’s somewhat unusual to see free games being packed in so soon. And that’s the rub for the loyalists and early adopters out there. Had they known a free game would’ve been coming in March, they surely would have waited! (Or so they say.)
Here’s a sampling of the vitriol that came forth once the news was announced:
“Once again Microsoft gives the finger to those who supported them on day one. Pre-order, or stand in line for hours day one and get nothing. Wait 3 months or so and get a free game. If you happen to live in the UK, you get a price cut too! Thank you Microsoft for showing me how much my support means to you.”
“This and the Titanfall Bundle for $499 are an absolute slap in the face from Microsoft. … offering bundles 3 months after the release of a console for the same price as the initial release is absolutely ridiculous…. I say that compensation is due here Microsoft, do the right thing once again! Whether that compensation be a free game, a free DLC, or even a few months free of Xbox Live is inconsequential. What is important is that you appreciate your customer base and show it, instead of spitting in their faces.”
“You know, I am not trying to act entitled here but I as an early/day one adopter (for every Xbox system to date) these free game promotions 3 1/2 months after launch are really starting to make me feel unappreciated.”
Oh god, these comments…I want to puke when I see people act on a different topic then what is posted about… Anyways, I am upset, this is very annoying to me, I bought one, and I will continue to use it, but damn, seriously? Why do this only months in, granted, PS4 is ahead, but it’s because they focused on more of a gamer-only thing. Xbox made a bad call and made this system released with the Kinect, making this 500$…But still, they upset me, I am angered, yes, but I’ll remember this. Ugh, can’t wait for my PS4 friends to start wrecking me with this…again.
I bought an xbox one early not because of free games or whatever, it is because I wanted the console. Microsoft has the right to readjust the pricing whenever it wants.
For people complaining:
Even if that didn’t happen 3 months later, it would happen maybe 6 months later? And then you’ll complain again.
Just the next time don’t buy a day 1 console.
Duh!! You fools really had no clue that m$ is only in this for the money? they don’t give a F about gamers…. that’s why halo 2 was cut from a complete game and turned into Halo 2 & 3. m$ is not a gamers world, m$ is all about raping the community and they firmly believe the gamer community is filled with idiots that will line up like sheep and pay more $$$ for a lesser system. Its like all the XB1 fools are buying Nintendo Wii’s while the PS4 fools are getting tru next gen. If you chumps don’t get it by now, you never will…… stop crying a river and start making your decisions based on what you purchase, and this time around, get the system that is meant for gamers, the PS4!
FYI PS4 focus’ on a true gaming experience, but you show your closed, fanboy mind by stating the Xbox One is nothing. I wanted more of a experience and futuristic feel, so I bought the Xbox one. Both systems are great, but when you spout something with two identical feels and looks are totally one-sided, that’s just you having a lost head.
hey chumpzilla, i never said the xbone is nothing, i said its a lesser system that cost more $$ and only fools such as yourself are blind to that fact. however, i see that your post is merely trying to justify your bad purchase decision….. its cool dude, you’re the fool that has to live with that mistake…
who cares, let the adopters go screw themselves!
if they don’t want to be ripped off, they shouldn’t buy the console day of release and wait for better price like how many smart people are doing.
all they want is for the games and consoles to themselves, so that they are the first and only ones to have an xbox 1 and no one else should, and they get all games to themselves.
Microsoft should not even bother with their complaints!
Hopefully all this face slapping and middle fingering Microsoft is doing to their fan base will inspire many more people to trade that worthless VCR box in on a shinny new, more powerful, and gamer focused, PS4.
I’m an early adopter. I bought Forza 5 on day one. I’m not the least bit upset.
Honestly, I’m not sure why anyone gets upset about this stuff. What I got was absolutely worth what I paid. That someone else gets more for the same amount has absolutely no effect on the value that I received. None. Zilch. Zip. Zero. Nada. Seriously, it’s a non-issue.
Lmao, making a article based on comments on someone’s blog. D-e-s-p-e-r-a-t-e
To be quite honest, it’s Microsoft itself that’s acting out of desperation. Xbox one sales are miserable outside of NA, and shareholders have recommended the new CEO sell the xbox division to cut losses. The titanfall bundle and free forza are desperate acts – quite frankly, they would normally never happen this early in a console’s lifetime.
The Xbox One isn’t selling miserably…it’s been out for merely a few months and has already passed the wii u…which has been on the market for 2 years…
Yeah, this is dwarfed by the (1) price tag, (2) insistence on kinect use, (3) DRM mishap, (4) ugly design, (5) no -replaceable HDD.
So glad I jumped ship this generation. I had invested a lot of money into xbox, 360, live, etc…. but MS never made me feel like my money or investment was appreciated by them, in the days leading up to GEN8. I know that sounds very vague, but who cares?
Ugly design is personal opinion. Besides, would you really call it an xbox if it you know…wasn’t a box?
Better than new owners buying the game used to have something cheap to play day one. Enjoy the free game, welcome to Xbox One newbies
sweet deal, time to go buy a X1 now!
no way MS angers its own customers ?!? Imposibruuuuu XD
In another month they’ll forget this ever happened. Xbox fanboys can easily be comparable to victims of Stockholm Syndrome. Don’tcha think that’s an accurate comparison?
They’ll forgive Microsoft and go back to them over and over again.
Accurate? No. It’s just simply “Fanboy Syndrome”. Same goes for PlayStation, Nintendo, Apple, PC fanboys. Some people just want to feel like they belong to something and these groups do shift occasionally. Just imagine how many ex PS fanboys are now XB fanboys and vise versa.
Just another niche… nothing fancy like being held beyond you’re own free will and trying to sympathize and relate to your captor.
:l I don’t remember too many moments where PS fans would need to feel such a syndrome. Sony doesn’t screw over their fanbase exactly as Microsoft does….like, Xbox original being dropped early Xbox Live being dropped for their old games (Halo 1/2 back then), RRoD seems to have become a distant memory that never happened. X1 and the DRM never happened now to the truest of fans.
Sony fans….all that happened to them was PSN hacked which wasn’t all Sonys’ fault but showed a security risk thanks to the hackers which in turn, improved Sony immensely. If not that, then Sony removing Backwards compatibility, which to me isn’t even a topic of ‘screwing over fanbase’ it was just a feature that was used in PS2 and then people came to somehow expect it to be a feature in Every single other console wherein no other console in its time tried to do backwards compatibility. I don’t have many recollections of Sony really, TRULY screwing over their fanbase, again, like Microsoft does. Nintendo neither as well, they just gotta get their crap together business/internally-wise.
PS fans that moved to XB fans, many did during the early PS3 era, but soon as 2009+ came they started slowly coming back and PS4 seemed to have stolen a lot of XB fans, and likely stole BACK the fans they lost from the PS3 era so I’d say Sony is on a Gain more than a loss. I say this not with bias but how I see things under my observation of the industry and the ‘Console wars’ thus far.
You’re over thinking this. All fanboys have problems.
Or perhaps you’re Under-thinking this ;o
But I do agree with the latter-half that yes, All fanboys have problems.
We “fanboys” won’t forget this happened, you “fanboys” for the PS4 won’t let us forget.
Them, “Fanboys” of PS4 won’t let you forget.
I, “Gamer” also will keep a reminder that the Xboxers should not forget this history, and keep reminding so the Past does not repeat itself. Which is what history does to nearly every single ignorant human on this planet, even on such a trivial topic as Console fanboyism.
This isn’t anything new. I paid full price for my 780 graphics cards when they came out and they dropped $150 and came with a couple of free games a few months after. This kind of thing happens.
Ahh gamers and their acts of entitlement lol
gimme gimme gimme!
Aint nothing free in this world, steph!
acting like I deserve an entitlement, when really all investors of a product deserve some gratitude for, idk, investing into a company’s product?
But that’s ok, you see, you call it ‘entitlement’, I call it, “I’ll take my hard-earned money somewhere else.”
Ur wrong there on october i go a email stating we are a big fan off urs call this number to git a free xbox one with froza 5 well i called and in november i got xbox one and a code 2download frona so in all i save £500 £430 concol and £60 on game
It has nothing to do with entitlement. The Xbox one is doing poorly around the globe – the Titanfall bundle and this offer are acts of desperation to regain sales and in the end, the loyal xbox one gamers end up paying for it.
I’m going to guess you voted for Obama. It’s not about entitlement, it’s about good business.